Placket-closure.



PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1903.

H. A. TAYLOR. PLACKE'I' CLOSURE.

APPLICATION FILED 001. 29. 1902. RENEWED JULY 7, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES Patented September 8, 1903.

PATENT FF1E.

PL'ACKET-CLOSURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,373, dated September 8, 1903.

Application filed October 29, 1902. Renewed July 7, 1903. Serial No. 164.604. (No model.)

parts being broken away to more clearly dis close its structure; Fig. 2, aface view of one section or member of the device detached; Fig. 8, an edge elevation of the strip detached;

Fig. 4, a detail elevation of a portion of the wire strip; Fig. 5, a transverse sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 2; Figs. 6, 7, and 8, detail Views showing slightly-different forms of the Wire structure; Fig. 9, a transverse sectional view showing a tubular cover for the wire structure; Fig. 10, a similar view showing the fastening means secured to the wire structure, and Fig. 11 is a similar view of a different form of covering means.

One of the main objects of this invention is to provide a flexible and resilient strip formed of a wire strand or of a plurality of strands so arranged that the strip will readily yield in any direction, while at the same time 0 being sufficiently stiff to prevent the two members or sides of the placket from separating or gaping between the fastening devices.

Another object of the invention is to secure the fastening devices, such as the ordinary 5 ball-and-socket snap-fastener used on gloves and such articles, to the flexible strand structure in such manner that the strain of separating the members of the fasteners will be taken up by the said structure, the fasteners being strongly clenched orotherwise secured in position.

There are other and equally important objects and advantages in this invention, which will appear hereinafter.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, 1 designates the under member or edge of the placket, 2 the outer or overlapping member thereof, and 3 the waistband of the skirt. Secured to the outer surface of the inner member of the placket and to the inner surface of the outer member thereof is the closure-strip 4. This strip is a strand structure,

and, as shown in the drawings, is formed from a single piece of flexible resilient wire 6, which is bent back and forth in a zigzag or herring-bone manner to form the strip 7. At each turn the wire is bent to form the small eyes 8, and at certain points throughout the length of the strip the wireis formed into the circles 9. These circles or rings may be centrally arranged in the strip, as shown in Fig. 4, or they may be arranged at the edges thereof, as shown in Fig. 6. The purpose of the small eyes 8 along the longitudinal edges of the strip is to give the strength 6;

and resiliency to the structure and at the same time form eyes by means of which the strip may be secured to a tape or to the dress, the stitching passing through said eyes. The purpose of the rings 9 is to provide a convenient place to rigidly secure the fasteners 10. It will be readily understood that the fasteners are clenched around these rings. This flexible strip is curved longitudinally to conform to the natural curve of the dress. This wire structure may be secured directly to the members of the placket, if desired; but it is thought that it will be more desirable to cover said strip by means of a flexible fabric, as a tape or tapes, as shown, or it may be covered, as shown in Fig. 11, by so weaving the tape over and around the wire structure as to completely embed it therein. The fasteners 10 may be secured in place before or after the strand structure has been covered. In the latter case they serve as an additional means for securing the covering material in position. 7

As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the wire structure is providedwith a covering 11 on one side only, and this covering is clenched to the wine structure by the fastening devices. In Figs. 8, 9, and 10 the flexible strip is within a tubular covering 12, which is preferably of fabric and of the proper width to permit the flexible strip to fit snugly therein. As shown in Fig. 8, the fasteners are secured to the fabric coveringand are notpositivelyclenched to the wire structure, while in Fig. 10 the fasteners are secured to the Wire structure alone and do not connect the tubular covering to said structure. It is of course obvious that the fasteners may be secured in any of these desired positions. In Fig. 7 the wire structure or strip is composed of two wire strands, which are extended back and forth to form a flat strip of the desired width, the said strands crossing each other at the transverse center of the strip and each strand being coiled at the edges of the strip into small eyes. In this form of structure the fastening devices may be secured directly to the wires, or they may be secured to the supportingstrip independently of the wires, as desired. It is of course obvious that this form of structure may be used with a single covering-strip or with the tubular form of covering. In Fig. 8 the small eyes at the longitudinal edges of the'strand structure are omitted, and it will be readily understood that other forms of the strip may be made without departing from the scope of this invention and that said strips may be formed of any desired number of strands properly arranged. A strip thus formed will be flexible and resilient and yet will be stiff enough to prevent any gaping of the members of the placket between the fasteners. It may be flexed in any direction either laterally or longitudinally and will return to its normal position when freed, the skirt resuming its natural fit and bearing no outward appearance that would indicate the presence of the placket closure device.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A placket-closure comprised of' a pair of members, each member being formed of a metallic strand extended back and forth to form a flexible and resilient strip having rings therein at intervals and fastening devices secured Within said rings.

2. Aplacket-closure comprised of a pair of members, each member being formed of a single metallic strand extended back and forth to form a flexible and resilient flat strip of suitable width having eyes along its longitudinal edges, and rings at intervals through-- out its length and fastening devices secured in said rings. 1

3. In a placket-closure, the combination of a pair of members, each member being comprised of a resilient wire strand extended from side to side to form a flat strip, one part of each of a series of two-part fastening devices secured to each of said members at intervals, whereby when the two parts of the fastening devices are connected togethercthe two members of the closure device will be secured one upon the other and will be held against independent movement.

4. In a placket-closure, the combination of two flat resilient members formed of a continuous wire strand extended from side to side to form a strip of suitable width, a flexible covering for each of said strips, and one part of each of a series of two-part fastening devices secured to each of said members at intervals, whereby when the two parts of the fastening devices are connected together the two members of the closure device will be secured one upon the other and will be held against independentmovement.

5. A placket-closure comprised of a pair of members each member being formed of resilient wire extended back and forth to form a fiat strip of suitable wid th, said strand being formed into small coils along the longitudinal edges of the strip, each member carrying one part of each of a series of two-part fastening devices,whereby said members may be connected together at intervals and will be held against independent movement.

6. In a placket-closure, the combination of a pair of members, each member being comprised of a resilient wire strand extended from side to side to form a flat strip of suitable width, a flexible supporting-strip for said wire strip, one part of each of a series of a two-part fastening device secured to each of said members and binding the flexible cover to the wire strip, whereby when the two parts of the fastening device are interlocked the two members of the closure'device will be secured together and held against independent movement.

7. In a placket-closure the combination of two resilient members formed of wire, one of said members being adapted to be secured to one side of a placket and the other to the other side of the placket, and a series of balland-socket snap fasteners secured to the members, one part of each of said fastening devices being secured to one member and the other part being secured to the other member, whereby when the members are secured together they will be held against independent movement in any direction.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 28th day of October, 1902.

HARRY A. TAYLOR. Witnesses:

WM. R. DAVIS, JOHN G. PEARSE. 

